Lupin III: Fanseries 1
by Anna Lisa Bradford
Summary: Repost: While trying to steal a powerful government software, Lupin meets a young lady named Yuma, who becomes a partner in his business, as well as a lover. However, Yuma has many dangerous secrets that could cost them their lives ...
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: before we get anywhere, I have to tell you a few things. One: this is a re-post. Two: I invented the concept of street-fighting girls. I don't mind that anyone uses this concept, but it would be very courteous if you would ask me first, of which, concerning certain individuals, you didn't. Go ahead and flame me. I'm telling you the truth. Also, I invented the concept of her living on the streets, and the drug Dragon's Bane. I'm deleting and reposting my stories so that you may view them. Please don't be angry with me, I'm just irritable about the plagiarism. If any other writers out there disagree, they can talk to Leela, who is one of the authors in the Lupin III section. Thank you, and have a nice day.

Lupin III  
Fan-series #1  
Episode #1 - The Hacker: Yuma Avara's First Entrance  
  
-----Lupin sat at his computer, sifting through government files. Inside one of those files in that particular part of the net was the most ultimate program ever created by the hands of a criminal. It had started out as a basement software, and when it got out of control, the government seized it so that it couldn't be used by anyone else but government. With a few modifications, the software was the ultimate weapon for techno wars. This item was at the top of every list in the black market not only in Japan, but also in undergrounds around the world.  
-----And what of it's uses anyway? If it was such a powerful program, what could it do? What was so great about this program that everyone wanted? The answer was this: it could break down any defense; crack into any file,; and had a built in super virus that could even destroy whole systems on command, even the government's main frame, with enough time and effort.  
-----If someone really wanted to, they could threaten the government by force to give up certain files, based on the promise that, if they didn't, that person would crack into and destroy a very crucial government file or system. This was why the great Lupin III wanted it.  
-----'If I could erase my files, there would be less police on my back,' he thought, 'and I could also hack into bank accounts and get money that way. This could really help my profits. I'll find it soon.'  
-----Lupin was always very patient in his dealings, and he knew that , always, in time, there would be an answer to whatever problem or inquire he faced. He wouldn't have to wait much longer. Soon, it would be just the right time to pounce.  
-----'Yes,' he thought, 'Soon, the time will be just right. Until then, I'll just have to sit back and relax.'  
-----He continued to type away steadilly at the keyboard, defense after defense slowly breaking down.  
-----About half an hour afterward, he was inside the file containing the software. There was now only one problem: someone had gotten there first.  
-----"Shit!" he all but yelled.  
-----"What's wrong, Lupin?" asked Jigen, who was relaxing while having a smoke in his easy chair.  
-----"Someone else got here first!" Lupin glared at the screen. Suddenly, a picture started forming. "What?" Lupin muttered.  
-----"Hmmm?" asked Jigen.  
-----"Something's appearing here, someone's calling card, I hope," said Lupin, "Come here and look. Maybe this can help us identify our competition."  
-----Jigen did as was requested and they both watch the picture take shape. It was a picture of a naked woman with red demon wings; ivory skin; sharp, long black claws; medium golden brown hair; and finally, a great body. Under it was the heading, simply stating, 'she-devil.'  
-----"I know who this is," said Lupin.  
-----"Who?" asked Jigen, "Some famous hacker?"  
-----"She's a living legend," began Lupin, "Some aren't even sure if she exists. They call her 'Devil Lady Yuma,' and she's supposed to be the greatest hacker in all the world. She has a lot of enemies, and lays low most of the time, only coming out for the big jobs. She's always successful."  
-----"So, what are you going to do about her?" asked Jigen, "We can't just let her get away with the program. That software's worth money."  
-----"I have some good contacts in the hacking world who owe me a lot of money," said Lupin matter-of-fact-ly, "and I'm sure that they would be only too happy to help."  
-----"Well, let's get to work, then," suggested Jigen, "It's going to take a lot to track down this hacker."  
-----"Yeah, tell me about it. I have to talk to my allies first and set up a meeting."  
  
-----Yuma was calmly sitting at her PC, a small smile creeping up onto her face. She now had it, the infamous software that had everyone on the black market talking.  
-----'With this software,' she thought, 'I can hold any system on the network hostage! That means big bucks for me! I'll finally get a break from hacking and go into cracking! I'll have every network and bank at my mercy, and finally, instead of just viewing the info, I'll be taking it! I'll consider this my first big job.'  
  
-----Ice sat relaxing on his couch, eating a TV dinner, when the phone rang.  
-----"Who is it?" he picked up the reciever.  
-----"Hey, Ice," said a familiar voice, "It's me, Lupin. You think you can do a favor for me?"  
  
-----Yuma sat in a booth at the cafe.  
-----'He's twenty minutes late,' she thought, 'He'd better get here quick. I don't have that much time to spend.'  
-----As if on que, the door of the cafe opened, and in walked the master thief, himself, Lupin III.  
-----"Hey," he said good-naturedly, "You look just as good as you do in the picture!"  
-----"Save your sweet talk, loverboy," she said in a surly tone of voice, "You came here for a meeting. Now what'll it be? I haven't got time to waste."  
-----"I can see that," Lupin grinned impishly, "You look like a very busy woman. I just came here on a bit of business, myself, and I was wondering if you could help me with it-"  
-----"You're not getting that software," she cut him off, "Look, the great Lupin III wanted a meeting with me. So what? Whoop-dee-freakin'-do! I don't care. I'm busy and I don't have time for this. If you want me to do a job for you, all you have to do is pay the price, and I'll do it, but I ain't givin' you the program!"  
-----"Perhaps we could work together, then," suggested Lupin.  
-----"Not a snowball's chance in Hell," she sniped, "I've gotta go. Nice meeting you, Lupin!"  
-----"Wait!" he got up and spun her towards him, "We should say farewell!" He tried to kiss her and failed, but before she slipped out of his grasp, unbeknownst to her, he put a tracker on the back of her coat, a small black one that blended in.  
-----"Gotta go," she smirked, "Got work to do!"  
-----"I guess I have some work to do myself," he grinned.  
  
-----"So," said Jigen, lighting up a cigarette, "you intend on stealing the file from her tonight."  
-----"Yep," said Lupin, pouring himself a drink.  
-----"How do you think that's going to go? This ain't no ordinary girl we're dealing with. If she's that combative, she's gotta know how to fight, too."  
-----"Which is why I'm going to do it while she's asleep."  
-----"Good idea."  
-----Lupin heard a beeping sound.  
-----"Well," he said, "looks like we got a location. The comp's already storing it. By the end of tonight, the software should be mine."  
  
-----Yuma took off her coat and left it on the floor of her shabby home. It was made from an old building that was for sale that nobody wanted, a particularly ugly old building. She walked over to her main computer, which was about all she had, and booted it up. She got down on the floor and lifted up one of the wooden boards. Underneith was a vast array of floppies and CD ROMs, all carrying viruses or programs. She picked up a gold mini-disk and put it in the minidisk drive of her main computer, turning on the built in computer speakers as well. An icon appeared on screen and she double-clicked on it.  
-----"Program activated," said a computerized voice, "Choose your option."  
-----Yuma looked at the list and said, "Well, let's see what this baby can do. Okay, I'll go for ... hacking! Let's see you hack into a government system. There's a fair few that I've been wanting to see." She clicked on the option. Within minutes, the firewall was broken down. "Good," she said, "That means that if I need to get into something that I need help with, this program can help me. Well, looks like you're pretty powerful. I've got to find a special place for you!" She shut down the program and popped out the disk. Doing so, she got up and put the disk in the most unlikely place that anyone would ever look for it: the bathroom.  
-----The bathroom was a smelly place, even when clean. She put it behind the mirror in the medicine cabinet.  
-----"No one will look for it there," she said, "No one would even think of looking for it." She yawned, "I'm sleepy. Better get some rest. Got a long day ahead of me tomorrow." Walking into the main room again, she lied down on the futan and went to sleep.  
-----'Man,' thought Lupin as he stood in one of the abandoned rooms of the place, 'that sleeping liquid sure sucks into the skin fast! Luckilly, I had the antidote. Now time to get the program.'  
-----Creeping into the bathroom, he opened the medicine cabinet and took the software. Then he crept out of the house and into the street, where Jigen was waiting with the car.  
  
-----Yuma soon awoken from the tranquilizer. She got up, stretched, yawned, and brushed her long, curly brown hair out of her face. Walking over to the medicine cabinet, she opened it up. There, she saw one of the most aggravating, horrifyingÛthings she'd ever seen: the software, the one she'd worked soÛhard to get, for months on end, was gone. Instead, the was a note left by Lupin III.  
  
-----"Dear Yuma,  
----------"You did a really good job of hiding the program from me. However, you forgot to check ----------your coat. Maybe we could work things out. You'd make a nice member of my gang. ----------Meet me at the cafe today at 9 AM.  
  
----------------------------------------Signed,  
-------------------------------------------Lupin III  
  
-----"Fucking A!" she yelled, "How did he get here? How did anybody know I was here! Jesus Christ, I'm gonna kill him!"  
-----Meanwhile, at Lupin's place, he could hear everything she was saying on the built-in sound device. He gave a little giggle.  
-----"What's so funny?" asked Jigen.  
-----"Looks like our girl's a little frusterated right about now," he laughed.  
-----"Yeah," said Jigen, "Who wouldn't be? But why do you want her to be part of our gang?"  
-----"Because she's got a housing shortage and we could use someone like her."  
-----"What I don't understand is how she could live in a decrepit place like that," said Jigen, "That place ain't fit for dogs."  
-----"Yeah," Lupin looked just slightly worried, "I know."  
  
-----Come 9:00, Yuma was there. Right at one of the tables sat Lupin. He beckoned her to come over there, and she answered.  
-----As she sat down next to him, he asked, "So, Yuma. I have an proposition for you that I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me with. Care to listen?"  
-----"I work alone," she said menacingly, "Where's the program?"  
-----"Now, now, now," he said, "Not so fast. Listen to what I have to say first."  
-----"You'd better make this quick!"  
-----"Okay. Yuma, you look like you're in trouble."  
-----"How do you know that?"  
-----"Look at your living space."  
-----"So?" she said sarcastically, "How am I going to fix that?"  
-----"You'd be making a lot more money if you'd partner up with me and Jigen. You'd make a great addition to our gang."  
-----"Since when do you care about me?"  
-----"Since I saw your ability to work."  
-----"So you're saying that you want me to work for you," she said, "Is that it?"  
-----"No," he corrected her, "I want you to work with me. There's a difference. You won't be an employee in this business, Yuma. You'll be a partner, capable of making your own decisions. You'll also be making a whole lot more money than you are now."  
-----Yuma was quiet for a moment. She stared down at the table top. Then she looked him straight in the eyes.  
-----"I'll think about it," she said.  
-----"Here," he wrote down his number on a slip of paper, "Call me when you've come to your decision."  
-----She blushed, "I ... I don't have a phone."  
-----"Then here's my address," he said, "Don't give this to anyone else. I'm trusting you here."  
-----"Okay," she took the paper and walked out.  
-----Jigen walked in. He came up to Lupin, "So how'd it go?"  
-----"She said she'd think about it," said Lupin, looking like he was deep in thought.  
-----"Hey, what's up with you?"  
-----"I'm just worried about her," he said, "That's all."  
  
Yuma walked out of the cafe.  
-----'Work,' she thought, 'And for good money, too.' Perhaps I should take this job.' Yeah, that would be a good idea. Being partners with Lupin, I should be able to make more money. Maybe I can learn how to be a thief as well.'  
  
End of Episode #1


	2. Chapter 2

Lupin III, Fanseries I, Episode II: The Stalker,  
  
Lupin III Fanseries I Episode II: The Stalker  
  
All characters and situations (c) their respected owners.  
  
He watched her as she left the ricketty old building, clinging to her like a shadow. The virus. If only he could retrieve it. Then he could impress the boss enough to get a rise in rank. Perhaps he might even go from his low status to becoming his boss' right hand man. he could envision it in his mind: him, the man his boss trusted most. His boss' orders echoed in his mind: "Get me that virus, and you'll be generously rewarded. Fail me, and I'll have your body cut into pieces while you're still breathing, and make you watch as I feed them to my dogs, piece by piece." Jeno felt his blood run cold. He had a lot of goals in his life, and being cut into pieces alive was not one of them.  
A young female voice shattered his thoughts. It sounded angry; harsh and bitter. "Okay, you can stop following me now," she said, "I know what you're after and you're not going to get it."  
"Ah, but honey!" he chuckled darkly, "I'm not your average gangster, now am I? If I could follow you this far and -"  
"That's funny," said Yuma sarcastically, "I don't see any difference. I could've heard you a mile away, so you're obviously not good at stalking people."  
"Let me put it to ya' straight, brat: you don't give me the virus, and I'll kill you and find some other way to get it!"  
"First of all, it's a program. Can you spell that, pal? Not a virus. And secondly, why would I give it to a damned idiot like you? You think that I actually have it on my person? What is it with you? Do you think I'm that stupid? Or even worse, did you think that I was as smart as you? Gimme a break!"   
"What did you just say?!" he growled.  
"I said, in case you didn't understand the first time, I'm not as dumb as you are!"  
"You'd better shut your mouth little lady, before I slap that damned thing off your face!"   
"You'll have to catch me first!" she laughed cruelly. She stuck out her tongue Japanese style, and then ran  
like crazy.   
She sprinted down the street, Jeno now biting at her heels. Running up to a near-by appartment complex, she flew up the stairs. What she didn't know was that the very first door that she'd knocked on was Lupin's.  
Lupin, being as tired as he was, groaned and stumbled towards the door. "Open up, whoever you are!" he heard a woman scream, "He's almost here!"  
Lupin opened the door immediately and slammed it as a blur ran in. When it finally stopped running, Lupin realized it was Yuma. "What the Hell?" he asked, quite shocked to have seen Yuma come in so fast.  
"Lupin!" she panted, "Thank God it was you!"  
"What in the world is going on here?!" he demanded an explaination, waiting for Yuma to reply.  
After she caught her breath, Yuma looked up at him, replying in a serious, yet controlled, calm voice, "They found me."  
"What do you mean, 'They found me'?" he asked, "Who the Hell were those guys?"  
"Part of the American mafia," she explained.  
"And just why would they come all the way to Japan to come and kill you?"   
"Long story," Yuma was breathing normally now, "Please, just don't ask."  
"I'm sorry, Yuma, but since you have jepardized my safety, I think I have to!" he said, a little flustered, "I mean, waking up in the morning to the mafia at your door is not a pleasant feeling."  
"Damn you!" she yelled, "Jesus! Sorry for not meaning to ruin your fucking life! You talk as if I'm not even important. If it was that bad, Lupin, why didn't you just leave me on your doorstep and let them kill me?"  
"Because I didn't want to see you get hurt," he said gently, "but if they're after you, Yuma, they are now after me as well. It's not just my own safety that I'm worried about here. It's yours. Why are they after you?"  
She sighed, and began, "A while back, I did a deal with a mafia boss in Tokyo. He employed me as a hired gun for a while."  
"Why?"   
"I was watching over his wife, so that he knew that she wasn't getting into any trouble that she shouldn't be in. She loved to travel, but on each occasion, she cheated on her husband. He was growing suspicious of her activities, so he called me."  
"So what happened to make them come after you like this?"  
"The deal went sour. Something went wrong and he refused to pay me the money, so I hacked into his bank account and stole it."  
"How much?" Lupin was listening attentively.  
"$1.5 million."  
"That's a lot of money," Lupin sighed, "Not a very smart move, Yuma, especially for an intelligent lady like yourself. so I guess he wanted his money back in some form or another. However, normally, they don't work on-line, do they?"   
"No, they don't," said Yuma, "The cyber area is one thing they are not interested in."  
"So," Lupin skipped to a new topic, "Do they know where you live?"   
"Unfortunately, yes," replied Yuma.  
After a brief silence, Lupin said, "Stay at my place."  
"What?" she seemed a little confused.  
"Strange," Lupin said, more to himself than to anyone else.  
"What's strange?" asked Yuma, curious.  
"You don't seem to be surprized about the mafia coming to Japan for you," explained Lupin, "but when I ask you to move in with me, you seem shocked. Why?"   
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" she asked, "I've been bitter and rude to you, and yet, still you ask me to move in with you! Why's that, hmmm?"  
"I want you to be safe, Yuma," he said patiently, "I take care of my partners. The only thing I ask of you is for you to help me in return. Does that sound fair enough to you?"  
"Well, yeah," she said, unsure, "I guess ..."  
"Then what's your decision?"  
Yuma thought for a moment. Then she replied, "Only if I can bring my computer stuff with me. That includes my programs, software, cybergear, diskets, CD ROMs, printer ... all that stuff has to come with me."  
"I'm sure we can work something out," agreed Lupin, "Exactly how much stuff have you got in there anyway?"  
"Lots," replied Yuma, "and I don't want to ..."  
"Lose all your expensive toys to them. I understand."  
"It's more than just entertainment, you know!" she said in a huff, "Each thing has it's perpous."  
"I know," laughed Lupin, "but you talk about them as if they were real living creatures."  
"They may as well be," replied Yuma, "I can't afford a pet, and computers are pretty low matinence if you look at them in the right light."  
"I see," said Lupin, "Don't worry, we'll get them for you. But we better get there quick before those goons trash the place. Oh, speaking of which, if they do happen to get there before us, do you have a back-up system? Like a lap-top and back up disks?"   
"Yes, actually," said Yuma, "It's hidden in the building under a floor board."  
"Good," said Lupin, "That way I know that if you lose anything, you can always get a back-up. Look, I'm going to get dressed. You wait out here, and we'll be there in a couple of minutes."  
"Okay," replied Yuma. As Lupin walked out the door, Yuma thought to herself, 'Maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all!' She smiled.  
In a few minutes, Lupin was dressed and ready to go. He looked out the peep-hole. "Coast is clear," he said, "Let's go."   
In a short while they were at the building. However, much to Yuma's dismay, the door was kicked in. "Damn," she cursed, "Even though I have a back-up lap-top, it's going to be hard to pay for all those accessories!"  
They walked in. Sure enough, the place was trashed. Yuma walked over to a certain part of the room.  
Pulling up a floor-board, she lifted out a lap-top and several other things associated with a computer.  
"I'm going to have to buy a whole new array of computer products," she said.  
Lupin was surprized. In the brief time he had known her, he'd never heard her say anything that sophisticated before.   
"Where did that come from?" he inquiered.  
"What?" she asked, curious.  
"What you just said, where'd you learn to talk like that?"  
"As a child," she began, "I didn't have very many friends, so I read lots of books. That's where I get my vocabulary."  
"Well, it's a good thing," suggested Lupin, "With the right training, I might be able to use you for negotiations! Think that's a good idea?"  
"Yeah!" said Yuma, "I like that. What else can you teach me?"   
"More than any other master thief, that's for sure," assured Lupin as he picked up a box of stuff that was hidden under another floor-board. After grabbing the objects she'd missed he said, "Alright, let's go. You'll be living with me from here on out."   
With these words, Yuma and Lupin stepped outside. Just as they were headed for his car, Jeno appeared from behind the corner. Lupin saw him and he roughly pushed Yuma into the car, slammed the door, got in and did like-wise for himself.  
"What the Hell was that for?" said Yuma irritably.  
"Quiet!" he said over the squeal of tires, "They're on our tail. We've got no time to lose!"  
"Let me guess," said Yuma sarcastically, "Jeno."  
"You got it," replied Lupin, "Watch your back. If they start shooting, you may have to take the wheel."  
"Got it," said Yuma.  
A bullet was fired. Yuma took the wheel as Lupin fired off his gun. Within minutes, they had two flat tires and Lupin and Yuma had lost them.  
"God," exclaimed Yuma as she got back in the passenger seat, "I'm already sick of these people! Why can't they just leave me alone? It's over and done with, and unless his boss doesn't have anything better to do, which I highly doubt, I don't see the perpose of this chase!"  
"I know, honey," replied Lupin, "It does get tiring, but until we get our money's worth from this next job, I don't think they're gonna stop chasing us."  
"Great," said Yuma bitterly, "Just what I wanted to hear!"  
"I'm sorry, Yuma," he said, a little exasperated, "But these are the facts of life! It's  
kill or be killed!"  
"I'm sorry," she appologized, "It's not your fault. I just don't like the idea of the mafia coming to Japan. I thought I was safe here."  
"Yuma," he said gently, "No place is ever that safe. You'll find preditors everywhere you go, and you just have to learn to live with them. Learning how to protect yourself from these guys is one of the first things I'm going to teach you. It's one of the most important lessons on the list. If you get caught, or if something were to happen, you gotta know how to defend yourself." He looked at the time. "I think we'd better get back," he said, "I don't want Jigen wondering where I am."  
After a brief silence, Yuma spoke up, "Lupin?"  
"Yes?"   
"Thanks."  
"No problem, hon."  
The rest of the trip was made in silence. Nobody had anything left to say.

END OF EPISODE II.


	3. Chapter 3

Lupin III  
Fan - Series I  
Episode IIV: Twisted Deceptions  
  
All characters (c) their specific owners  
  
As Yuma was suiting up for her first job, she felt her slight paranoia slowly rising. They were going to break into the museum in the middle of the night. While this was supposed to be "nothing to worry about," as Lupin put it, something inside her told her that tonight was going to be a real doozy. She sighed out of stress as she put on her boots and walked out of her room.  
  
"There you are!" Lupin grinned, "I thought you weren't going to show up!" He looked her over, and said, "Hey! Don't worry! You're going to do just fine."  
  
"I don't know, Lupin," she said, "Any other night, fine, but somehow, tonight, I think we're walking into uncharted territory."  
  
"Why do you say that?" asked Lupin, curious.  
  
"I don't know, I ... I got this kinda ... feeling that things are going to go awry, you know? Like something isn't right."  
  
"Well, if you want to stay here," Lupin shrugged, "that's fine by me, but you need the experience. I mean, ya' gotta start somewhere."  
  
"I never said I wasn't going," she looked at the floor, "I ... just be careful, Lupin. That goes for the rest of you, as well. I already know you guys are professionals, and everything, but-"  
  
"Look, kid," said Jigen reassuringly, "quit being so pessimistic. You're going to do fine. You've just got the chills because this is your first job. Trust me, you'll do fine. If you screw up, then that's just part of life. It's okay for first jobs, because nobody expects you to be perfect, and with time, you'll gain experience. Believe me, you'll be alright. I mean, come on, you've got a trained professional here to work with, and you can't go wrong with that, now can ya'?"  
  
"No, I guess not," she looked up, with a nervous little smile, "Okay, I'm game."  
  
"Good," said Jigen, "Now let's get out of here."  
  
The moment they hit the site, Lupin hid the car in a back alley by the museum, and everyone got to work. It was Lupin's job to partner with Jigen (as always), Goemon was guarding the front entrance, and Fujiko was working with Yuma (much to Jigen's disdaine). As soon as they got inside, everyone got to work on their particular assigned area.  
  
"Okay, kid," said Fujiko, "this is what we gotta do. You and me are supposed to hit the jewel boxes. If you get caught by the guards, try to seduce them. If you can't do that, run back here. And if that doesn't work, you shoot 'em. Got it?"  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Oh, and Yuma," Fujiko finished.  
  
"What?"  
  
"One more thing: only shoot if it's your last option. Otherwise this job's gonna be a bust." Yuma gave Fujiko an annoyed look.  
  
"You know," she whispered under her breath, "just because I come from off the street doesn't mean I'm stupid."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"It was nothing, really. Just don't assume that I'm so naive as to do a thing like that."  
  
'What an attitude!' thought Fujiko, 'Wonder how Lupin's going to teach her to be a lady, when she's being like that?'  
  
"I'm sorry," Yuma cut into Fujiko's thinking, "I'm just nervous. I mean, this ain't my first job, but I'm still not quite as experienced as you are yet."  
  
"I can see where you're coming from, honey," said Fujiko with a smile, "Still, it's not a wise idea to piss off your upper class-men. They can get really cruel, you know? And we don't need that kind of trouble."  
  
"Okay," said Yuma, "Well, we'd better get to it."  
  
"Not so fast," sneered a voice from behind them, "Thought you'd escape me, huh, bitch? Well, looks like you thought wrong this time."  
  
"Who are you?" asked Fujiko, insulted, "And why on earth are you in here?"  
  
"That girl isn't all that she seems, babe," he looked at her with a glint in his eye that Fujiko didn't like. She knew that look. The look of a man hunting his prey. The only man she tolerated with that look was Lupin. At least Lupin wouldn't do anything crazy, like trying to tie her to a bed.  
  
"And just what do you mean by that, bud?" she countered angrilly.  
  
"You don't have to look twice to know what she is. You know ..."  
  
As Jeno continued on, Lupin listened from around the corner. 'This just might get interesting,' he thought.  
  
"... so you see, honey, she's a robot. A very realistic one, but a robot, none the less!"  
  
"What the Hell are you talking about?" Fujiko all but screeched, "None of this is right, is it, Yuma? It's all one big, sick joke. He's just crazy, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Yuma said softly, "he is."  
  
"Now that's strange," said Lupin to Jigen.  
  
"What? You mean the way she reacted?" asked Jigen, "Yeah, it is kinda weird. Like she had something to hide. Question is, what? Unless what the son of a bitch says is true, we don't know a damned thing."  
  
"Right," said Lupin, "She was trying to tell me something yesterday, but she never finished what she'd been saying. That's curious, alright."  
  
"Well, in any case, we'd better step in, before somebody gets hurt," said Jigen, turning around the corner with Lupin right behind him, "Alright, party's over. You! Get away from Yuma. Yuma, come'ere, honey."  
  
Yuma was about to walk over when the guard finally came around from down the hall, "Freeze! You're all under arrest for trespassing! All of you, down on the floor! Now!" All of the Lupin gang scurried out of there, leaving Jeno with the cop. All, except Yuma. Pulling out her gun, Yuma shot Jeno point blank in the head. Then, running as fast as she could, she caught up with the rest of them as Fujiko got away on her bike and the rest crammed into Lupin's car.  
  
"Yuma," asked Lupin, "What did you just do?"  
  
"That guy knew some personal information of mine that he had no business knowing," she said indignantly, "I had to silence him, and that's the best way I know how."  
  
"Why?" asked Lupin with a slightly baffled voice, "You said that none of it was true, didn't you?"  
  
"I ... no, none of it is," she found the words, inwardly thanking any diety that might be out there, "It's just that he knew some other rather embarrassing things, and I don't think that's anyone else's business but mine." She sounded slightly shaken at the fact that she had to kill someone that evening.  
  
"Yeah, but didja have ta' shoot 'em?" asked Lupin, somewhat angry.  
  
"They were more than embarressing," Yuma replied firmly, "Those secrets could have cost me my life. And I wasn't about to tell you in front of a cop. I didn't want to kill him, you know. I had to!"  
  
"Okay," said Lupin in exasperation, "I give up. Let's just try to get home in one piece without blowing everyone up, okay?"  
  
"Done," she agreed.  
  
End of Episode III


	4. Chapter 4

Lupin III:  
Fanseries I:  
Episode IV: Shaky Ground  
  
All characters (c) their respective owners.  
  
Lupin walked in the door of his apartment, frustration and anger written all over his face. Jigen had gone out for the night, and Goemon and Fujiko went home. "It's not right."  
  
"What," asked Yuma silently. It was more of a statement than a question, but she still sounded meek.  
  
He turned around and faced her, "Yuma, this isn't the streets, and when you have power like that, you don't abuse it."  
  
"I didn't want him to know-"  
  
"What could possibly be so bad that you have to kill him to keep it a secret?"  
  
"You told me that when I was comfortable with it, I could tell you!" she said quietly, "Those secrets are something that I hold close to my heart, as much as I hate them, and if I told you, you wouldn't see me the same anymore."  
  
"What?" he looked puzzled, "Why?"  
  
"I-I can't tell you!" At the end of that sentence, Lupin noticed that Yuma's eyes were a little brighter than they should be.  
  
"Yuma, how can I know what's wrong if you don't tell me?" he stroked her cheek.  
  
"You shouldn't have to help me," she said in a soft voice, "you'll only get yourself in trouble. And it's not like anyone can do anything about it, anyway. The best thing I can do is keep those secrets."  
  
Lupin drew her into his arms and held her there for a while. Some people really knew how to keep secrets. It wasn't going to be easy for him to get her to open up to him, he knew that now. He also knew, by the looks of it, that someone, somewhere, had done something bad enough for Yuma to want to keep it secret. 'She shouldn't have to carry that weight around,' he thought.  
  
He heard Yuma begin to snivell. She took a few deep breaths and calmed down. "I'm going for a break. Maybe to a bar or something where I can have a couple drinks." She wiped her eyes and headed for the door.  
  
"No, Yuma," he said, "I don't think that's such a wise idea."  
  
She turned to him, hands on her hips and a stubborn look on her face. "And why not?" she said indignantly.  
  
"Because," he said, "You'll get drunk. That's why."  
  
"Well, I'm going anyway. Maybe that's what I need."  
  
"If that's the case," he grabbed his coat, "Then I'm following you. Who knows what kind of trouble you'll get into if I'm not there. Besides, you're going to need a designated driver."  
  
"Fine," she said in a firm, angry tone of voice, "You can come with me. But don't cause any trouble for me where I'm going, and stay out of my way."  
  
"Alright, but only if you promise not to do anything stupid."  
  
"No, you stay out of my way, and that's that!" she said stubbornly.  
  
"Fine, but if you start acting like an idiot, I'm interveining, and we're going home."  
  
"We'll see," she said, "Let's get out of here."  
  
"Okay," said Lupin, "I know a few good bars we could go to-"  
  
"Then you're going alone," she said.  
  
Lupin only shrugged, "Okay. What place do you have in mind?"  
  
"Someplace down town."  
  
"Such as?" he asked.  
  
"Club Wild Card," she said with a small grin, "I can have plenty of fun there. And if the stuff I think is going on, is going on tonight, it's something I know I can't screw up on!"  
  
"Okay, what are you thinking?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I've seen that look before, Yuma, what are you planning on doing? You'd better not be getting yourself into trouble!"  
  
"I'm not!" she said in a huff, "No one would dare mess with me! They all know me down there!"  
  
"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking, because if you are, the answer is no."  
  
"Come on," she tugged at his sleeve playfully, "We're only gonna have a bit of fun! Take it easy, Lupin!" He looked at her, unsure, and she gave him a big, happy, trickster grin. "Oh, come on, Lupin," she was almost begging him in a sexy sort of voice, "Have a little fun for once! Maybe it's a good idea that you're coming with me tonight, mmmm?" She tugged at the lapels of his jacket.  
  
"Uh, Yuma? What are you doing?"  
  
"What do you think I'm doing?" she asked seductively, puttin her face close to his face, "Maybe we should stay here." Whispering in his ear, she said, "Tell me, Lupin, how long has it been?"  
  
"How long what?" he said, getting a little nervous.  
  
"I think we both know what I'm talking about."  
  
"Uh, Yuma?" he asked, scratching the back of his head nervously, "Are you sure you haven't had anything to drink?"  
  
"Oh, come on, Lupin!" said the temptress, "I thought you liked this sort of thing!"  
  
"Well, don't get me wrong," he laughed nervously, "You are very attractive. It's just that I don't really think that you're quite yourself right now. I mean, after what happened tonight, I just don't think it would be-"  
  
"Wise?" she giggled, then said playfully, "Hmmph! You're no fun!" She got closer to him, rubbing her calve against his leg.  
  
"Yuma, I- we-"  
  
"Lupin?" she asked, lips close to his. He was sweating now.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Shut up," she said softly, putting her lips to his.  
  
Lupin put his arms around her as they joined in the kiss. Smoothing one of his hands down the back of her body, he swung one arm under her and picked her up.  
  
"Oooo, now we're talking!" she giggled. He began kissing her neck as he carried her off to his bedroom and she started to moan.  
  
Yuma gasped as the final spasm hit their bodies, Lupin sucking in hard for air. Sweat was pouring down his back as Yuma's body glistened in the dim lamp-light. Lupin toppled off of her, breathing hard.  
  
"God, that felt good," he gasped.  
  
"Yeah!" panted Yuma, "Didn't it though?"  
  
"Yuma, I swear!" said Lupin, smiling, "You are somethin' else! Why didn't you tell me you were good in bed like that?"  
  
"Well, a girl's gotta have her secrets, I guess, and this is one of mine," she told him, rolling over and rubbing his chest as she lied down next to him.  
  
"Why don't you let me know sooner, though? When we were out in the living room?"  
  
"I wanted to surprize you, I guess. If I told you about all the good stuff before hand, it would be boring. I don't like for people to expect what I'm going to do next."  
  
"If that's the case," he said, finally able to breathe, "Then keep doing what you're doing! I like it!"  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, enough talk," she said, a sparkle in her eye, "Ready for some more action, huh, Lupin?" She stroked her middle finger down his chest. He immediately rolled over on top of her and started kissing her.  
  
Lupin looked over to his side. Sure enough, Yuma was sleeping right beside him.  
  
"Oh, shit!" he thought, "Please tell me that what I think happened last night didn't happen!" Lupin turned on the lamp by his bedside. Yuma opened her eyes slowly, squinting from the brightness.  
  
"What is it?" she groaned.  
  
"It's just me, Yuma."  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"It's morning. Listen, Yuma, uh ... do you remember anything we did last night?"  
  
"Yeah," she yawned stretched and smiled, "We should do it again. What do you think, Lupin?"  
  
"Naah," he chuckled nervously, "I think that you need to go take a look in the mirror first. Come on, out of bed." He gently took her by the hand and pulled a bedsheet over her so that she was covered, then robed himself. Then, Lupin lead her to the bathroom. "Look in the mirror, baby."  
  
Yuma looked once and blinked. "Yeah, so?" she looked up at him, annoyed.  
  
"Yuma, what do you see?"  
  
"Well, my hair's a mess."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And so what! Lupin we had sex last night! What do you expect!"  
  
"Yuma-"  
  
"Lupin, is this some kind of joke, because I don't see the punch line, unless you're planning to annoy the hell out of me by dragging my naked, lilly white ass out of bed, putting it in front of a mirror, and asking me random, stupid questions!"  
  
"Yuma, what I mean to say is, do you regret anything we did last night?"  
  
"Why?" she asked, "Do-" She thought for a moment. Then something hit her, and she found it quite striking, indeed. "Lupin, I think you should be asking yourself that question!" she said angrilly.  
  
"I never said that I regretted it," he said quickly, "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."  
  
"Well, I'm fine!" she said, "And you can stop worrying about me!" She pulled her blanket over her body and walked briskly over into the bedroom.  
  
"Yuma?" Lupin came in and asked, "Are you in here?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, "What do you want?"  
  
He laid down beside her and said softly, "You know, I don't regret anything we did last night. It's just that you seemed so vulnerable at the time."  
  
"Vulnerable? Vulnerable?" she laughed bitterly, "I'll show you vulnerable!"  
  
"Shhh," he leaned over and kissed her. Yuma looked surprised for a minute. He kissed her again and rolled her on her back. After another kiss, longer this time, he asked, "That better?"  
  
She nodded, "Just never question me about whether or not I regretted it last night. If I regret anything, I'll tell you!"  
  
"Alright," said Lupin, "Let's get breakfast."  
  
"I think a shower would be more appropriate," she giggled.  
  
"Alright," he smiled, "Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

Lupin III:  
Fanseries I:  
Episode VI: Speechless: Yuma's Break Down  
  
All characters (c) their respective owners  
  
Yuma walked into the bedroom, Lupin following her. The day was pretty hot considering, and both of them agreed that it might be a good idea for them to just take the day slowly.  
  
As Lupin was putting on his boxers, Yuma walked over to him in her towel and asked, "Lupin?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Can't we just stay in bed for a few more minutes?"  
  
"Still asleep?" he chuckled.  
  
"No, not really," she said softly. As his back was turned, she looked down at the floor, disappointed. It had all happened way too fast, as if someone had taken their time during the night and put it on fast-forward. She wanted to go over there, lean on his shoulder, but it was over, done with. She had known how this would end. A passionate love during the night, wasted, spent, over with at morning's light. She sighed.  
  
Lupin turned around. "Something the matter?"  
  
She suddenly put a smile on her face and said, "No, nothing's wrong with me. You don't have to worry."  
  
"Okay, Yuma," he said, "If you're sure."  
  
But something was wrong. She wished that he would walk over to her, put an arm around her, but the night was over, and he would probably be chasing after Fujiko if she came in today. 'Life sucks,' she thought, 'What a shitty ending to a great night! Why, oh why is it that they all have to turn out this way in the morning?'  
  
He walked over to her, now fully dressed, smiled, and winked as he walked out the door.  
  
Yuma slipped back into bed, lying in the spot where he'd lain, trying to sense any heat that might still be on the mattress from last night's great escapade. She breathed in the scent of his sweat, and clutched the covers around her body as she turned and looked at the ceiling. She closed her eyes. It was almost as if she were trying to grasp what had been left of his presense, as if that if she tried hard enough, he might actually be there when she opened her eyes, lying under her tiny, fragile little body, holding her. But when she opened her eyes, he wasn't. It was no use. It always turned out this way. Yuma felt tears come to her eyes, unbidden, but this time, she didn't try to fight them. That was when, for the first time in two years, Yuma put her head in the pillow softly cried herself to sleep.  
  
Yuma woke up, bedraggled and covered in sweat. She heard the door open. There stood Lupin, tall, strong, lithe, in the doorway, smiling. "Well, well, well!" he said in an ever-so-slightly suggestive tone, "Look who finally woke up. Welcome back to reality, Yuma."  
  
'Oh God, why does he have to look so damned good right now?' she thought as she smiled, knowing that there could not be a sexier man on the entire planet Earth right at this moment. "Yeah, talk about it," she said, "Good morning, sexy - I mean, Lupin!" She blushed deeply.  
  
Lupin laughed, "I see you're still not up yet. I'll give you a few more minutes. But you'd better hurry. I've got something to show you. I think you'll like it."  
  
As the door shut behind him, she cursed to herself, "Damn! Why is it that in the most important of moments, I can't seem to get my head out of the gutter?"  
  
She muttered darkly as she put on some clean clothes that Lupin had obviously left out for her. Then, slipping out of the bedroom, she went into the kitchen with a look on her face as stormy as the words she had cursed under her breath not three minutes before.  
  
Jigen looked up from his morning newspaper and up into Yuma's face as she walked by. 'I swear,' he thought, 'If she were walking any harder, the apartment would be shaking!' Jigen called out to her, "Hey, Yuma! What's the matter with you?"  
  
"It's nothing, Jigen," she said darkly, "Nothing you'd like to know."  
  
"Are you sure, kid? Someone doesn't just wake up with a look like that on their face, and besides, you got to sleep in. You should be fine."  
  
"I'm irate, I'm horny, and my perfect little dream has just headed south for the winter," she muttered, "There. Now you know."  
  
Jigen gave an earsplitting grin as he walked out. In the living room, Yuma heard laughter, "Hey, Lupin! You might want to check up on Yuma. She's pretty pissed right about now. Heh, heh, maybe you shouldn't have gotten out of bed so early after all!"  
  
"Wha?" Lupin looked clueless until it hit him, "Jigen, shut up. It's not funny." Now he looked just as annoyed as Yuma. "Look, I'll deal with Yuma. You wait right here, I've got a good plan for our next attempt at the museum."  
  
"Don't worry about me, I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Lupin didn't wait for Yuma's answer. By the time Lupin had gotten to the kitchen, Yuma was already on her way out. "Hey, Yuma! Wait up! I need to talk to you."  
  
"Get out of my face," she said as she stormed past.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To get a shower."  
  
"But you just got one a couple hours ago."  
  
"Well, I'm getting another one."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"To get all this stink off of me."  
  
"What? Yuma, what in the Hell are you talking about?"  
  
"What? You mean you don't get it already?"  
  
"Yuma, did you actually regret what we did last night?"  
  
"No, not until you walked out of the bedroom and left me alone, I didn't. Now I'm not so sure."  
  
"Oh. So that's what this is about."  
  
"Just leave me alone," she seemed to be in a hurry.  
  
"No, Yuma I think we need to talk."  
  
"Really? Well, you certainly didn't want to talk to me when you left. And I'll bet that you were in a hurry to get out of that shower, too!"  
  
"What?" he asked, "Yuma, are you crazy?"  
  
She spun around and faced him. Quietly, she said, "You're the one who regretted last night, and now the shit falls on me, so don't start complaining, Lupin." She tried to shove him out the door, but he wouldn't let her.  
  
"Yuma, I'm sorry if I offended you, but you can't expect me to stay in bed with you all day. I've got to get up sometime because there's work that needs to be done. You could've come out there with me, and I wouldn't have minded. Yuma, don't you think you're taking this a little far?"  
  
Yuma sighed. Lupin shut the door as she started to undress, but while she was pulling down her pants, he pulled her into his arms. "I don't know what happened to you," he said gently, "but in the future, I would like you to be a little more clear on what's going on, okay? Now tell me, what made you so angry?"  
  
"It wasn't you, Lupin," she said with a sigh, "It's men in general. One night of hot, passionate love, and the next morning they get up and act as if it'd never happened. The whole think is spent, wasted, cold. And there's nothing I can do to make you stay."  
  
"Who said that?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," she said, "That's how it always is. Over half the time, they leave before I wake up in the morning, and I never see them again."  
  
"Oh, you'll be seeing me again, don't worry," he chuckled, "Remember, we live in the same apartment."  
  
"Yes, but will we ever do that again?"  
  
"Sure we will," he said, "Whenever you want. Well, almost. There is work to be done, you know."  
  
"Well, fine," she said, "Anyway, I've got to get a shower."  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
Yuma looked up at him, "Really?"  
  
"Sure, why not? After all, we didn't really get clean in there earlier."  
  
Yuma smiled. As Lupin stripped down and Yuma turned the shower on, Lupin asked, "Yuma, why didn't you tell me that you'd become so attached to me?"  
  
Yuma wet her hair down as he stepped in, "I don't know. You're just... different. Different from all the other men. Not mean, not crude, just... classy, if you can find a male term for the word. Refined. Different."  
  
"Well, you know what, honey?" he came up behind her, gently pull a strand of hair back from her eyes, "So are you."  
  
"You really think that?" she asked, as if trying to tell if he were telling the truth, "You're not lying?"  
  
He began soaping up her back in a light rub, sliding the soap over her sensetive skin, "Yeah. I do." At the motions on her back, Yuma practically melted. She leaned against the wall while he soaped her up, and he pulled her into his arms again, facing her as he continued. Yuma closed her eyes and leaned against him, content.  
  
As soon as the two got out of the shower, Yuma yawned and headed straight toward the kitchen. "Where are you going?" Lupin asked good-naturedly.  
  
"Kitchen. I want some breakfast."  
  
"I see," said Lupin, "Well, there's not much there at the moment, but we do have some ramen. How does that sound?"  
  
"Sounds good to me."


	6. Chapter 6

Lupin III:  
Fanseries I:  
Episode VII: What Makes You Human: Two Days Later  
  
As Yuma and Lupin ate their ramen, Lupin thought of something that troubled him. Those secrets, the reason why Yuma had shot Jeno last night... could there actually be some truth to what he said. He recalled what Jeno had told Fujiko that night:  
  
"Yuma don't have to look twice to know what she is. A robot. Can't you see? She's just too perfect! You know, they make 'em like this all the time. Beautiful and deadly. and this one just so happens to be a snotty little bitch. she should know better. She should be serving us, not the other way around, don't you think? We're better than her! We're the real thing, not just some cheap immitation, some peice of trash like she is. So you see, honey, she's a robot. A realistic one, but a robot none the less. She's gotta go."  
  
Lupin played with the idea a bit. What if she was a robot? Just some lifeless doll? What if she were merely a puppet that had someone pulling strings to make her move, walk and talk? And just who was her maker?  
  
'But no,' he thought, 'She can't be. Not after last night. Those emotions, that passion, her body, her reaction to his touch... that had all been real. And no matter what anyone says, nobody can prove otherwise. So what is she so damned defensive about? What was wrong? She'd been just fine last night. Affectionate. And I got to see who she really was, up close: a passionate woman with a strong desire to prove herself worthy in a world full of hipocrits. And yet, now, even when we're this close together, she seems so far away. What's wrong with her? What is she hiding? Ah, Hell! I'll figure it out later. Right now the morning is going smoothly, and I'd like to keep it that way.'  
  
Yuma looked up at Lupin as he was eating his ramen. He didn't seem to have a care in the world. 'How lucky of him to not have a care in the world,' she thought, 'He doesn't worry about anything, and when a problem comes along, he just fixes it. But how will he react when he finds out? What if he finds out that what Jeno said was true? Then what will he think of me? He liked me last night, but he didn't know who I was. He doesn't even know about what's inside of me, what I can turn into in the blink of an eye. I'm not even real! That was all taken away from me years ago. And I can never get it back.'  
  
Yuma looked down. She had a sad look on her pretty face. Lupin looked at her. "What's wrong, Yuma?" he asked.  
  
"It was all those things that Jeno said," she told him, "They're all kind of unnerving, you know. It's kind of creepy, having someone actually think that about you, having someone come after you like that. He told Fujiko that I should be a servant to the Lupin Gang. It's scary. I know it would never happen, but, that guy, he... was so suggestive about it. It makes my skin crawl-"  
  
"Look, babe," said Lupin, reaching a hand out and putting it on her shoulder as he moved up next to her, "You have nothing to worry about. It's just some sick fantasy of his. I know that you're real, and so does everyone else around here, so you don't need to worry about a thing. And if he was suggestive about it, well, he can't be anymore, because he's dead. And you don't need to worry about him anymore. Okay?" His hand reached out and carressed her face, stopping to hold it for a moment or two.  
  
Yuma felt her insides turn soft as he held her face. He had that kind of power over women. One touch was all it took. She looked into his black eyes. They were full of warmth and understanding. "Don't worry," he said, "It's fine." He stole a quick kiss from her lips. She looked a little shocked at first. She'd thought that they'd only be doing this in bed. She drew her face up close to his and they shared a long, slow kiss. But something was bothering Lupin. He couldn't just leave it alone. This thing had to be dealt with. He needed to know. Why had Jeno been after her, and who was coming after them?  
  
Lupin pulled away, "Yuma?"  
  
She looked at him, surprised, "Yes?"  
  
"I've got an important question to ask you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Is there any truth to what Jeno said last night?"  
  
Yuma felt as though a bucket of ice had been dropped into her stomach. Although she didn't look like it, the cold fear held her in place. On her face was a calm, serious look, but inside, she was shaking like a leaf. "Why do you ask? I thought you knew that I was real."  
  
"It's not whether or not your real, Yuma. I know that. But why did you kill him that night? Was there a specific reason?"  
  
"Lupin, I don't think you should be asking me this!" said Yuma angrilly.  
  
"Yuma, I thought we were close," he said, slightly hurt, "You can trust me with anything."  
  
"I know," she said, a little shaken, "but why are you asking me this question?"  
  
"I'm asking because I want to keep you safe," he said softly, touching her face, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Yuma, whatever reason those guys are here, they won't stop until you're dead. I don't want to see you end up like that."  
  
"If you insist on talking about it," said Yuma in a soft, shy voice, "can we at least do it somewhere else?"  
  
"Yuma," he said gently, "you're safe here. Nobody's going to hurt you."  
  
"Are you so sure?"  
  
"Yuma, come with me," he said. He got up from his chair, and reached out his hand to her. She took it, now looking unsure, and followed him into his room. Lupin needed to get whatever information Yuma was hiding from him out of her, and he knew just how to do it. All it would take was a little coaxing. This was going to be very enjoyable.  
  
Once they got inside, Lupin shut the door behind them.  
  
"Lupin, what are you doing?"  
  
"You said you needed to talk to me privately, so here we are," he said a little flatly, just by accident.  
  
Yuma looked a little upset at the tone of his words. "You don't need to speak to me like that," she said softly.  
  
He walked up to her, stroking her cheek. "I'm sorry. Look, Yuma, to answer your question, yes, I'm sure. Yuma," he asked slightly exasperated, but still calm, "why are you being so difficult?"  
  
"Because it's my business!"  
  
He walked around her and, wrapping his arms around her, nuzzled his head in her hair, "Tell me."  
  
"Tell you what?" she asked, a little nervously.  
  
"Easy, easy," he said softly, "Nothing to be worried about, my dear. Just tell me why you're being so difficult. That's all you need to do." He burried his head into her neck and began kissing her. Yuma moaned, pleased at the sensation, yet protesting. She couldn't tell him. He just wouldn't look at her the same way.  
  
She moaned again, "Stop," even though, in truth, she didn't want him to.  
  
"Tell me, Yuma-chan," he said softly, "I'm not asking for much, here."  
  
"No," she murmured.  
  
"Alright, but don't say that I didn't warn you," he said softly. He turned her around to face him. Pulling her gently along with him to the edge of his bed, he sat her on his lap, and began kissing her. After one long, slow kiss, he asked, "What are you so scared of. Will you tell me that, Yuma-chan?"  
  
"Not even that," she said, being slightly short with him.  
  
"We'll see, Yuma," he purred in her ear, "We'll see."  
  
He carressed her face and kissed her again. This time, Yuma tried to pull away, but he gently pulled her back. Yuma stopped all physical protest what-so-ever and just went with him. After all, it wasn't as if he was hurting her. In fact, she was enjoying it quite well. 'But I can't tell him,' she thought to herself. The thought, itself, seemed so far away, as he continued to kiss her, that she barely felt that it was there. She was starting to forget what this whole 'debate' was about. 'He just wouldn't feel the same about me anymore. After all, who wants a robot, anyway? No, this needs to stop ...' but even as he was kissing her, an unexpected thought popped into her head against her will, '... but I don't want it to stop. I don't want him to stop this.'  
  
Again, she heard his soft, gentle voice, "Tell me, Yuma. I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
"No," she murmured, "Please, try to understand... I can't tell you this."  
  
He picked her up and layed her down on the bed, on her back. Crawling over her on his hands and knees, he positioned himself just above her and lowered his body to hers, putting their faces close together. "Yes, you can," he murmured. Putting his body against hers, he began kissing her again.  
  
"Why do you want to know so bad?" she asked softly.  
  
"I believe we've already been over that," said Lupin in a soft, smooth voice, "I don't want you getting hurt." He began kissing her neck again.  
  
Yuma took a deep breath. "I can't tell you."  
  
"I don't believe that," he said, grinning, "Yuma, tell me, or we're not going any further than this."  
  
"This really isn't fair," she said indignantly. Lupin only gave a muffled laugh in her neck. Yuma started breathing heavilly. She tried to get up, but he gently pushed her down again. After a while, Yuma asked, "If I told you, would you still want me?"  
  
"Well, that all depends," he said, getting up, putting his face to hers, "Are you my ally or are you my enemy?"  
  
"I didn't come here to hurt you, Lupin!" she said angrilly, "You found me! I - "  
  
"Shhhhh," he said soothingly, "Relax. You don't need to worry anymore. Just tell me who you are."  
  
Yuma's thoughts turned blank. She knew that Lupin would never hurt her, but this was one question she didn't know the answer to. The fear crept up and pounced upon her like tiger. She froze. "I don't even know who I am."  
  
Lupin felt her body go rigid. He rolled them over and lay her on his chest. "How can you not know who you are?" he asked gently, "I know who you are."  
  
"I don't know, Lupin," she said, "I'm just so confused right now, I don't know what to think anymore."  
  
"Why's that?" asked Lupin.  
  
"Complex problems that you don't need to know about!" she snapped and pushed him off of her. She stalked out of his room and into her room, shutting the door.  
  
Lupin followed her, and poked his head in the door. "Yuma, what's wrong?"  
  
"Look, you're the one who's getting in my face so why don't you just leave me alone!?" It was more of a demand than a question.  
  
Lupin grew angry. He'd had enough. Enough of beating around the bush, enough of playing games. It was time to stop. At least for now. He would question her again later. "Alright," he said coldly.  
  
"And why should it matter anyway?" she called after him, "Am I not human enough for you!?"  
  
He shot an angry look back at her as she stood in her doorway, and turned around, slowly walking away from her and into the kitchen.  
  
"At least he doesn't have to question who he is every time he looks in the mirror," she muttered. She walked into her room and looked at the small mirror on her desk. It had been so long ago, that accident that changed her life. Ever since then, she had questioned who she was. Tears started rolling down her face for the umpteenth time that week. "Who ... am I?" she asked through her tears, "What am I? Oh God, what did they do to me!?" She broke down in tears, "I'm not human. I'm not even a robot. I'm nothing but a monster!" She held her head in her hands, covering her eyes with closed fingers. "Help me ... somebody, make me real again." Then, through the pain, a thought occured to her. 'What makes you human?' she inquired silently, 'What makes you a person? If it's not in the heart, than what am I?' With that, she broke down into fresh sobs, "If I don't tell him, it will never work out, but if I do tell him, he won't want me anymore! What am I going to do?" She curled up on top of her blankets and cried herself to sleep.  
  
Lupin looked in on Yuma. She was sleeping and her eyes were red. She hadn't even bothered to take off her shoes. 'Yuma,' he thought, 'I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. But why would you keep something like this a secret from me?' He thought about it for a minute. Why wouldn't he love her? Because she was an android? He had to admit, it was pretty strange. From the way she kept avoiding him, she had to be one. But she was just so human! So he decided to love her anyway. All he wanted was for her to be straight forward with him. But she was so scared she couldn't even do that.  
  
He walked in and shut the door. As he said Yuma upright on the bed, she opened her eyes and yawned, "We're not going to have the same argument, I hope, because you know that I can't answer your question." He sighed as she tried to look fearless but as he looked into her eyes, he saw the terror in them. "I'm tired," she murmured, "Please let me sleep."  
  
"Why are you acting so apathetic?" he asked softly.  
  
"You're going to break up with me because I won't answer your question, aren't you?"  
  
"Wha - what do you mean!?"  
  
"All the others did," she said angrilly, "Why should you be any different?"  
  
"Because I'm not like all the others, Yuma," he said gently, touching her face in one smooth stroke, "I already know what you are, and I can keep it secret. I just want you to be straight up with me and tell it to my face so that there are no secrets between us. Yuma, technically, what is your body composed of?"  
  
"And you won't think any less of me if I told you?"  
  
"No, baby, I wouldn't. You're still my lady."  
  
"Artificial tissue and human tissue. I'm half robot, half human." She covered her face.  
  
"Don't do that, babe," he said softly, so only she could hear, "I'm not going to hurt you. Now listen, I need to know. If you're half and half, then how come you seem like a normal human being."  
  
"Please don't make me answer any more questions!" she looked like she wanted to cry, "I'm scared."  
  
Lupin sat on her bed and pulled her body so that her head was burried in his chest, and the rest of her body was against him. She started crying again. "This is so stupid," she wept, "I'm such a baby. I can't believe that I've cried this much this week!"  
  
"No, it's not stupid," he stroked her hair, "You've just had it rough for the past couple of days, that's all. It's okay, Yuma, you can tell me. I'll still love you."  
  
"It all started long ago," she sniffed, "When I was six. I was at the beach and was playing on the slippery rocks, when I fell and hit my head on the jagged part. I got a deep head wound. I died on that day. I don't know how long I was out, but the next thing I knew, I woke up with a pounding head ache. I was under some kind of anesthetic. My head was still pounding though, because I was waking up. I looked at my body, and saw the they had made an incision near my heart. They'd put some form of chip there. I looked up at the computer screen and on the back of my neck, and saw that they'd put a chip there, too. I got so scared that I started screaming. I passed out from the terror. When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. Three days later, I was released. I thought the nightmare was over, that the chips wouldn't do anything. How wrong I was! The first time that I got really angry when I got back, I felt something moving around inside me, like there were little worms in my skin. A wave off electricity ran over my body, like a lightning bolt. That's when I realized: I wasn't human or android, but a grotesque mix of the two!" She started crying.  
  
"Baby, what are you saying?" he asked calmly, gently.  
  
"I can change from human to android, but I'm never completely one or the other. The chips will always be there, because I can't live without them!" Her body wracked with grief, and he held her tightly against him.  
  
"Ah, baby," he comforted her, "It's fine! It's going to be alright, I swear! There's nothing wrong with you."  
  
"What makes you human?" she looked up at him and asked, her eyes all red from crying.  
  
"What makes you human?" he smiled, "Well, believe it or not, it's what's inside of you that counts. What's inside your heart. It's not about the body. That's just a haven for the soul the abides there."  
  
"Really?" she asked, "Because I don't even know very much about myself, or the possibilities of what I can do. I have body parts that I never even knew could exist on a human, and I don't even know how to use them!"  
  
"Well, I know one man who could help, and we could learn together," he said, "Whaddaya say to that, huh, babe?"  
  
"I like that idea," she sniffed, and rubbed closer against him. She closed her eyes, "So tired," she murmured, "Not enough energy."  
  
"It's okay, just go to sleep. Everything's going to be fine."


	7. Chapter 7

Lupin III, Fanseries I  
Episode VII: Dreams  
(c) Tiffany Swartz  
  
Disclaimers: I do not own Lupin III  
Notes: Flames not permitted.  
  
Lupin watched her sleep. She was so beautiful when she slept, almost like a child-like angel, yet at the same time, a most womanly moon goddess, with her beautiful skin so pale, and her eyes so blue-green that he felt that he was falling into endless enchantments and luxeries of the night flesh. She was so enchanting, so hypnotising with her beauty. It made him feel so intense, just looking at her, that he wanted nothing more than to sit by her side, do nothing more than watch her sleep. No, she wasn't just an angel. She was a goddess. A pale, delicate, beautiful goddess. Yes, he felt that he could sit there, 'til time and times were done, just wasting away to nothing watching her. He dare not touch her, for fear of disturbing her peaceful slumber.  
  
She was quiet at first, the sounds emerging from her lips mere mewing. But then she started whimpering, and then groaning with fear; and all this rose up to a bitter boiling point: she began to scream. Lupin was so afraid for her well-being. The sandman was doing no favors by giving her these nightmares, these images in the dark.  
  
Lupin dove down onto the bed where he currently sat, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Yuma," his voice rose in concerned note, "Wake up, you're having a nightmare. Yuma, it's alright!"  
  
Her eyelids shuttered open, her eyes brimming with tears. "Lupin," she whimpered pitifully, like a scared child.  
  
"Shhhhh," he kissed her forehead, "It's okay. I'm here now, and nothing's going to hurt you. You're going to be alright." He gave her a little peck on the forehead and held her tightly. "What was your dream about?"  
  
"I don't know," she murmured, still scared, "It was all so fragmented. I saw all these images and scenarios that I didn't understand. It didn't really have a plot to it. It was just there." She clung to his chest, "There were so many images, so many scenes, I can't remember them all. Lupin, I think I saw my own birth!"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It was so scary," she shuddered, "I saw my dead body on the table, and they cut me open. Only, when they cut me open, there wasn't a human body there. It was all robotic with wires and circuts ... I don't know exactly what they put in my body, but I looked and there were all these tubes with psuedo blood with all this red mixed with silver bits ..."  
  
"It's okay, Yuma," he said softly, "You can tell me."  
  
She started crying, "I don't know what happened after that. It was like I was having an out of body experience. They opened my head up and there wasn't even a brain! Just a hard-drive and wires and circuts and ... the pain! It hurt so bad, like fire, and it kept getting worse and worse. I tried to tell them to stop but the only sound that came out of my mouth was a weird computer sound and they kept going, as if this were just normal. They wouldn't stop. Wait! Some of me was human, but they kept replacing the parts with computer parts. They just wouldn't stop, and there wasn't even blood there. I didn't even bleed!"  
  
"And?" he said gently.  
  
"And that was it!" she wept, "This is why I don't know what I am! I'm a weird monster! Nobody'll want me, something that's not even human!"  
  
"Yes, you are," he said softly, "Listen to me, Yuma. It takes more than a human body to become human. Like I said before, the body is just a shell in which we reside. You are one of the most human women I know. Nothings going to change that. Understood? Whatever they did to your body, it isn't your fault. It was a violation of your privacy, and your bodilly rights. I know that it's hard, but you don't need to worry. I'll always care about you."  
  
"I ... I feel like some sicko's fantasy! It's just not fair!"  
  
"I know. I know how it feels and it's not right. But you're not someone else's dream, Yuma! You're a member of my gang, and a lady with class, and you should be treated like one."  
  
"Really?" she looked into his eyes as if she almost didn't believe him.  
  
"I swear, it's the truth." He stroked her cheek, "Maybe it would be a good idea if you just took the day off, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, maybe."  
  
"If you have anymore dreams, let me know, okay?" he said, "We might be able to use this information."  
  
"Alright," she said quietly.  
  
"Good," said Lupin, "If you need anything, I'm right here."  
  
"But what about the plans for our next job?"  
  
"Don't worry about it, Yuma-chan," he said assuringly, "I'll fill you in on the details."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Someplace special, where they can help you."  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she let out a sonic boom shriek.  
  
"Calm down, Yuma. Look," he said, holding her face, "I know this guy that works with AI. He knows everything about people like you. He's going to help us find out what all those extra parts are for."  
  
"Lupin?" she asked softly.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Even if I were in my android form, would you still want to make love to me?"  
  
"As long as it's no different from your human form, that shouldn't be a problem," he smiled warmly at her. She held onto him and he held her back.  
  
"The plan sounds good to me," murmured Yuma, "But what are we gonna steal?"  
  
"He's coming with us so that we can utalize both your hacking skills. We're going over to his place and trying out the program, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Hell, maybe you might have some stuff that can hook you up to the internet and we could possibly use that instead."  
  
"Hook me up?" she asked quizzically, a little scared.  
  
"I've heard of humanoid robots that can be connected to the internet from any line, the kind of super computer prototypes that aren't even out yet. They're selling them in the black market, and I was thinking about getting myself one, one with quality, but I don't want to have to pay anyone to do the research for me."  
  
"What do you mean, 'do the research'?" she asked.  
  
"Find the best quality and watch out for flaws," he explained, "You, knowing what little you do know about- say, Yuma?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"How much do you know about robots?"  
  
"Enough to know how to repair myself from minor injuries and do small updates in my programming," she said.  
  
"Damn," he muttered.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping you could help me pick out a quality com., one that would have the latest high tech gadgets and the least flaws."  
  
"Well, I would help you, if I could, but I'm warning you, I don't like the idea one bit."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You talk about them as if they were just computers," she said in a huff, crossing her left leg over her right and facing in the opposite direction of Lupin, "They're not, you know. Some of them might actually have emotions, feelings, souls. Minds of their own. And it makes me feel inadequate as a human to hear you talk like that."  
  
"Well, I didn't mean to, baby," said Lupin, sitting next to her. He held her chin and kissed her. "Feel better now?"  
  
She nodded, "Yes, but..."  
  
"But?"  
  
"There is one more thing."  
  
"Really?" Lupin looked wolfishly into her eyes, obviously interested.  
  
"This," she layed down and as she was doing so, pulled his body over hers.  
  
Lupin began kissing her and she breathed a sigh of relief into his mouth. Life wasn't as bad as it seemed.  
  
Jigen walked by and as he was doing so, he heard heavy breathing. "Oh for Christ's sake, Lupin, couldn't you at least shut the damned door!?" he complained loudly so that Lupin could hear.  
  
"Sorry, Jigen," said Lupin between kisses.  
  
"Nevermind," grumbled Jigen as he shut the door to Yuma's room, "Forget it. Just try shutting the door next time, okay? God, you would think it was mating season with the way you two were going at it!" He heard Yuma giggle from inside the room and Lupin giving a muffled laugh. Jigen smacked a hand over his face and muttered darkly as he walked past the now shut door.


	8. Chapter 8

Episode Eight  
  
By Margarite Estella  
  
A/N: I've decided to stop naming my chapters. However, hopefully the story will be the same quality as it has been. I do not own Lupin III. 'Nuf said. On with the ficcy.  
  
Clothes lay thrown in all directions around the center in bed where the two lay. Both lay there in utter peace, one with his arm wrapped around the other, who, in turn, had her entire body wrapped around his. He opened his eyes in a hooded sort of manner and smiled down at the beautiful sight that was entangled around him. He wrapped the remaining arm around her and held her tightly in his embrace. 'God, I could stay like this forever,' he thought, 'Just holding her like this. I remember when I used to hold Fujiko-chan like this all the time.'  
  
He gave another sigh, this time, a depressed one, 'God, I wish I could still hold her like this. But, oh, well. You can't take back the past. Fujiko's already through with me, anyway." He thought for a moment. There could still be problems and he was going to have to tell Yuma sometime. Lupin had a problem with commitment. It wasn't that he didn't love Yuma. It was just that there were also so many other women out there, and he had a hard time not chasing them. It was a habit he'd come across when he was a young punk, and it had never completely left him. Of course, that wasn't the reason why Fujiko had left him, either. Fujiko had left him because 'a woman's gotta take care of herself, Lupin,' she'd stated, and 'I can't count on you for everything.' Boy, had she been right! The life he'd lead, well, it was no life for a lady. He wished that he could give Yuma more, but currently, until he got her on her own two feet, he didn't really have a choice. Once he got her working, though, nothing would be able to stop her. And if she still wanted to live with him, great! He'd enjoy a lady's company.  
  
Yuma stirred and curled her head up into his neck. Lupin put his hand up to her head and stroked her hair. "So how are you feeling, babe?"  
  
"I'm doing okay," she murmured, "Got a pretty good sleep. Lupin?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Do you feel that most of this day has been wasted?"  
  
"Wasted? No, I don't, Yuma," he smiled, "I spent it with a woman I love. Uh, look, Yuma?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"We gotta talk about somethin'."  
  
"So shoot," she said, "What is it?"  
  
"Well, it's about our relationship," he said hesitantly, "and about the kind of person I am."  
  
"What do you mean?" she said warilly, putting her guard up again.  
  
Lupin could see that she was getting tense. 'No need to spoil a perfect moment,' he thought, 'Best talk about this later, at a better time. Look how she'd put her guard up like that. She's been hurt by someone, I can tell, though the question is, who? How I would love to find out. Then I could tell her that I'm not like him, that I won't hurt her. I just want her to be okay. That's all.' "Nevermind, baby," he concluded openly, "We'll talk about it another time, okay? Right now, this is time just for the two of us. Just you and me, okay?"  
  
"Yeah," she murmured happilly, "Just the two of us." Yuma curled up next to the warmth of his body. 'So warm,' she thought, 'So welcoming. I could stay here forever. This is a place where I'll never be unwelcome, where I'll never be hurt. They can't hurt me as long as I'm in his arms. He'll always protect me, never hurt me. I'll never want to leave this place. His embrace is so warm, so comforting, so loving. Yes, I could stay here forever. Forever and always.' She gave a content purr as his hand ran up along her back.  
  
"Yuma?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"About that guy we're going to see, the one that could help us," said Lupin, "I just want to let you in on what's going on."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Well, it's like this. This guy's a cyber-punk. He's not a android, himself, but he knows a hell of a lot about computers. It's going to cost me a lot of money, but I think that I might be able to talk him into teaching you how to download things. Then, you could download stuff off of his computer, and hack, if you need to. That is, if you contain the appropriate hardware. If not, then we don't have to worry about anything, because you can still hack."  
  
"But won't the check up cost more?"  
  
"Yes, but I'll be willing to shell out the money."  
  
"I don't know, Lupin," she said almost gingerly, "Sounds too good to be true to me. What if we can't trust this guy? What then? What will he do to me?"  
  
"Well, you're kind of right about that, I mean, Ice is kind of a computer over-enthusiast, and we wouldn't want anything to happen to you."  
  
"I don't want anything happening to my organic body, either. What are we going to do about that, Lupin? Do you promise that you'll watch him for me to make sure that he's not doing anything he shouldn't be?"  
  
"I would, but how do I do that, Yuma?" he looked down at her, puzzled.  
  
"Question every move he makes in his analysis, and whatever else he's going to do to me."  
  
"There's a good idea," said Lupin cautiously, "but it could piss him off. He doesn't like me to question him."  
  
"Lupin, I'm not asking you to go against your friend's wishes, but this is my body we're talking about. He screws up my equipment, and I could either end up his slave, or die."  
  
"Slave?" Lupin looked shocked, "Ice wouldn't go that far."  
  
"Other people have tried," she said quickly, then, more calmly, "Look Lupin, tell him I mean no offense, but ... just look into it for me, okay? In any other situation, I would say yes, but by doing this, we're putting a lot to his advantage here, and well, I just want to stay safe, okay? I'm kinda worried."  
  
"I don't blame you there," said Lupin gently, "Alright, I'll think about it. But if I say 'no,' I mean no, got it?"  
  
"Got it," she sighed, "I sure hope that this Ice person is someone you can trust, Lupin, because if he isn't, our plan could back-fire on us in an instant."  
  
"I know. Look, you don't need to worry if I'm there. The moment I think something is going wrong, all you need to do is tell me, and I'll tell him to back off."  
  
"Just make sure he has the monitor on when he's doing the check-ups, alright? At least that, for sure, Lupin?"  
  
"At least that," he said firmly, "I promise you, Yuma, I won't let anything bad happen to you. You don't need to worry."  
  
"Okay," she curled up to him again, giving a content sigh, "Whatever you say."  
  
"Don't worry, Yuma," he murmured, "I love you and nothing's going to happen to you."  
  
"Alright," she yawned. She gave out a little mew and nuzzled against him.  
  
After a while of Lupin stroking Yuma's hair and cuddling, Lupin suggested softly, "Hey, Yuma? Why don't we go get a shower?"  
  
Yuma rose up from his chest, supporting herself on her arms, and smiled at him. The two got up and walked into the bathroom.  
  
"Yuma? I'm going to go and get dressed, okay?"  
  
"Alright, Lupin," said Yuma, smiling. 'He's so wonderful,' she thought, visibly glowing.  
  
She heard a woman's voice outside mingling with Lupin's. "I wonder who that could be?" she thought aloud. She wrapped a towel around herself, and walked out.  
  
All it took were five words: "Who the hell are you!?"  
  
Fujiko turned around, "Excuse me?"  
  
"Lupin, who is this?"  
  
"Ah, Yuma, this is Fujiko. Fujiko, this is Yuma-"  
  
"Why is she here!"  
  
"I could say the same for you!" said Fujiko.  
  
"Lupin, explain," said Yuma as calmly as she could. She looked like she was pretty pissed, "On second thought, I'll leave you two alone." She walked to her room.  
'This guy, Ice,' she thought angrilly as she packed for a few days, 'I'll talk to him myself. I find out myself, and let Lupin settle things among himself and Fujiko, and when they're done, maybe I'll think about going back. Otherwise, from now on, I'm just an ordinary gang member. Lucky for you, Lupin, you already told me where he lives.' Little did Yuma know what a grave mistake she was making.


	9. Chapter 9

Episode Nine:

Yuma walked up to the door, unsure of herself. She was in a different neighborhood, about to knock on the door of a man she didn't even know. As she stared at the metal barrier, not for the first time, she wondered, 'Am I ready to do this?'

Indeed the thing she was about to do was devious. She planned to gain the hard-ware she needed by means of sex. She would prostitute herself to get it, getting Lupin back for his untruthfulness in the process. It had all seemed so simple. But now, she was really wondering if this was the right thing to do. She shook her head. Lupin was a player. She could see that now. She had no obligations towards him. Clearing her head, she knocked on the door.

"Be there in a minute," she heard a man's voice. She heard footsteps up to the door, and it opened. "My, my," he said, looking her up and down, "A lady! What brings you here, miss?"

"I'm here for a special _hardware_," she purred, "and I was wondering if you might be able to _give_ it to me?" She gave him an innocent look.

"Sure!" he said, suddenly a little too happy, "Come right in!" He ushered her through the door and shut it behind her, leading her to an old couch, "So, what do you need?"

"I am in need of a special hacking hardware," she said, matter-of-fact-ly, "and, from what I hear, _you're_ the only one that has it."

"I don't know," a crafty look spread across Ice's rat-like face, "it took me a lot of time to get it. It _may_ cost extra money."

"I'm _sure_ we can work something out," she purred, "if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I definitely know what you mean," he said in a slick voice, "but it's going to take a little more than _that_."

"I knew it would come down to this," she said in a smooth voice, "so I brought some extra … _incentive_." She pulled out her purse and unzipped it, taking out some money she'd stolen from Lupin's bank account. "Will this be enough?"

"Sure, sure!" he said cheerfully, "Come this way." She followed him down the hall, listening, "It gets a little dark, so watch your step." She heard his footsteps, then, suddenly, they stopped.

"Ice?" she called after him, "Ice?" Suddenly she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head, and _everything_ went black.

When Yuma woke up, she was in a dimly lit room. _Lupin's_ room. She looked over to the chair beside her, where he sat. He didn't look happy. In fact, he looked betrayed. She rolled over, suddenly feeling terrible. She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to think about what she'd almost done.

"If you're worried about the money," he said in a soft, somewhat flat tone, "don't. I've already got it back." She lay there, silent. "As for what you're wearing," he continued, "I've decided to dress you more decently."

"Lupin-" she said softly.

"_Don't_," he cut her off, "I don't want to hear any excuses."

"You know," she said angrily, tears coming down her face, "_you_ weren't the only one ending up _hurting_ in all of this!"

"I know that," he said in a quiet, cold voice, "but I'm not the fortune hunter around here, am I?"

"I never wanted your money, you idiot!"

"Oh, an _idiot_, now am I?" he said, "I'm not the one who stole _$2,000,000_ in _cash_. And I'm _certainly_ not the one who looked like a whore being hauled out of that apartment. Yuma, I thought you were different."

She got up, but felt someone pull on her wrist, "Lay back down." The words came out as an order, not just a statement. "I know now that I can't trust you. I'm leaving you in here to think about things for a while. You know where the bathroom is. I'll be getting your dinner in a couple hours." She looked at him, hurt. "Don't say anything," he said, turning his back to her, "I've already heard everything I wanted to hear. It's been fun, Yuma, but I've gotta go take care of some other business." With that, he walked out the door. Yuma heard the lock click as he walked away, and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do now?

She looked down. Lupin was the only man she'd ever allowed herself to truly love. Now, because of her, all that was gone. Every kiss, every hug, all that meant nothing now, and it was all her fault. She had already turned her back on 'civilized' society, and she would never be able to show her face here again. She had nobody and nothing to hang on to. Her life had been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. To tell the truth, it had been hell. Lupin, for a brief moment, had shown her hope. Now, with him gone, there was nothing left to live for. She had one final option, and the answer was in the built-in bathroom.

Silently she padded in there, looking around. Just as she'd expected, there was a razor in the shower. With lifeless eyes, she closed the door and ran herself a bath. Hopefully, Lupin wouldn't intrude. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her. She didn't want to have anything to do with any of them. It would just hurt too much. Secret suicide was a much better option.

Once the bath was full, she undressed, and lay down in it. She didn't have to worry about electrocution, even when the water hit her bloodstream, because she was half-human. Quietly, she took the razor-blade and slashed her wrist. She cried out in pain for a moment, the tears welling up in her eyes, but she wasn't about to stop. Next, she slashed her other wrist. Again, a sharp pain came to her skin. She lay down and watched the red liquid flow from her body, pinking the water.

Exactly two minutes later, Lupin walked in. He was going to talk to Yuma about a few places she could go until he could get her a fake ID. He walked over to the bathroom door and picked the lock. Something wasn't right here. He sniffed the air. Blood! He ripped back the shower curtain and saw Yuma's blood streaming out of her veins. Picking her up, he ripped a few parts off her shower curtain and tried to cut off the blood loss by wrapping it around her wrists. After that, he quickly put her on the bed and yelled, "GOEMON! JIGEN! CALL AN AMBULANCE! YUMA'S BLEEDING TO DEATH!"

Yuma's eyes slowly fluttered open, "What's going on?" She saw Lupin walk into the room and tried to roll over, murmuring weekly, "Go away. Leave me alone."

"No," he said firmly, "I can't do that. Yuma, why did you do this?"

"If I don't have you, I don't have anything," she said, "You were the last good thing in my life."

Lupin sighed and sat her up against him in an upright position. "I called an ambulance. We're getting you to a hospital."

"Why can't you just go away!" she started crying, "Go away!"

"Yuma," he said softly, "I love you. I don't want you to die."

"Well, I do!"

"Why?"

"'cause you don't love me," she said, "You're gonna throw me out, and I have nothing. I wanna' stay, but you're not gonna let me. You blame it all on me, and you didn't even tell me that you were just using me-"

"Using?" he said, "No, not at all. Listen, baby, I'm very complex."

"Bullshit," she said.

"No, really! I grew up in a family where it wasn't uncommon for a man or woman to have more than one person they loved. We don't believe in monogamy."

Yuma, realizing her mistake and feeling utterly humiliated, burst into sobs, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She continued, "I didn't mean it, I just wanted to –"

"Oh, it's okay," he whispered, soothing her, "It's alright. All that matters right now is that we get you to a hospital for a blood transplant. I promise you that that's all that'll happen. Then, we can get you home, and I'll have my family doctor check up on you."

"How could I be so stupid?" she cried.

"Because I was dumb enough not to tell you," he murmured, "Now just calm down and sit tight. Everything's gonna be fine."

"I'm getting sleepy," she yawned.

"No! No, no, no! You stay awake, okay?" he said sharply, "Don't fall asleep!"

Right at that moment, he heard an ambulance. Fujiko walked in, "I've heard about Yuma's situation from Jigen. We're taking her to a special hospital where nothing bad'll happen to her. This people deal with her kind all the time."

"You mean there's more?"

"They're all over the place, Lupin!" she said, "Did you actually think there was only one prototype running around?"

"Fuji-cakes, they might be wanting to capture her," said Lupin calmly.

"Not while I've got them at gun-point," she smiled craftily, "I've got people working for me, too. Remember that."

The paramedics quickly raced through the door and put her on a stretcher. Lupin was allowed to get into the ambulance with her, with Jigen, Fujiko, and Goemon following. It seemed that, physically, Yuma would be fine. Whether or not she would be okay _emotionally_ was another thing entirely. At this point, one could only hope things would be alright, and, right now, things didn't look good.


End file.
